It feels like the girls are destined to do this forever…the final regular season round clash with the Canterbury Bulldogs. The Lisa Fiaola and Tarsha Gale Cups are both set for monstrous battles with their arch-rivals from Belmore as crucial ladder seeding will be settled at Eric Tweedale Today. Both the Eels and Bulldogs have undefeated regular seasons at stake in the Lisa Fiaola while the Eels are looking to perfectly crest their wave of momentum in the Tarsha Gale by claiming the scalp of the Bulldogs just a week after they knocked over the Roosters.

The Lisa Fiaola kickoff at 10:00AM with the Tarsha Gale following at 11:30AM (or 12:00PM, there are conflicting times listed).

 

 

Lisa Fiaola Team List

 

1	Tegan Nicholas
2	Havana Cook
3	Georgia Wansey
4	Hine Rikiti
5	Ruby Enosi Tuipulotu
6	Rylee Cash
7	Sienno Manuo
8	Hayloh Talagi
9	Armahni Cook
18	Ta’alili Tuivaiti
11	Sarah Alameddine
12	Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard
13	Isabella Bell
Interchange
10	Taylah Meagher
15	Zara Khouri
16	Charlie Noble
17	Zhra Tautai
19	Yasmin Quiroz-Mapasua

 

Late Mail

 

Eels per program.

 

Match Updates

 

First Half

 

Canterbury to kickoff.

The Eels immediately shift the ball two passes infield to find Ta’alili Tuivaiti. Tidy opening set from the home team as they drive over halfway with carries from Morgan-Pritchard and Bell. Rylee Cash sends up the bomb on the last and some withering defence forces the ball loose on the kick chase! Tremendous opening hand from the Eels here.

Centrefield scrum is set. Eels lined up to the left but they play to the right where Hine Rikiti nearly slashes her way over! She is barely brought down short of the line and on the next play Alameddine wins the penalty for a slow ruck. She taps the quick tap and carries the ball to within a metre of the line. Great establishing run and the Eels leap on the opportunity with a smooth transition to their left edge. The ball comes to Tegan Nicholas who does as she has all season and procures a wonderful cutout pass. She finds Havana Cook in stride with the luxurious try assisting pass and Havana glides past her opposite and goes on to centre the ball by a good 10m!

 

Try scored by Havana Cook. Conversion unsuccessful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 4-0

4min gone

 

And again! Groundhog Day at Eric Tweedale as once more the Parramatta Eels punch it deep in the Dogs’ half and then force an error on the attacking bomb. They also play right to Rikiti from the scrum win but here is where the simulation breaks. Tegan Nicholas gets the ball on the third tackle in almost an identical situation to the previous possession but instead of loading up another cutout pass to Cook on her left, she opts to take on the line herself and just scythes through at full speed to score untouched!

 

Try scored by Tegan Nicholas. Conversion unsuccessful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 8-0

8min gone

 

A powerful run and offload from Tuivaiti there as the Eels once again cross halfway with tackles in hand. Alameddine carries the Blue & Gold deep into Canterbury’s half before a bold outside/inside play from Cash to Nicholas nearly unravels the Bulldogs. The referee is right on the spot though and deems the pass has traveled forwards as the Dogs gets a desperately needed reprieve from the Blue & Gold barrage.

The visitors then pick up a penalty late in the next set as they are afforded a full possession inside Parramatta’s half. As expected, the Dogs have some massive forwards but the Eels are able to repel them through this set. Canterbury look for the play down their left edge but they sail a cutout pass into touch on the bounce after Ruby Enosi Tuipulotu got herself into the attacking line to disrupt the passing channel.

A pass from the Eels catches the hand of a defender 10m shy of halfway and thus the Eels get a scrum feed in their favour. Rikiti starts the set down the right edge before Bell centres the ball. Manuo dummies and darts down the left and nearly splits the defence but is pulled down as Cash completes the set with a tidy bomb that traps the Dogs in their left corner.

A tough possession for the Dogs sees them pinned in their own half but a quality clearing kick finds touch on Parra’s 30m mark. It is still plus field position for the Eels and they turn pressure and opportunity into points as their lethal left edge roars to life again. Nicholas sorties down that side and finds Georgia Wansey with a short ball. Georgia shows great contact balance as she shakes off her opposite number and bursts into the backfield before hitting Havana Cook with the fadeaway pass to beat the fullback and set up the score!

 

Try scored by Havana Cook. Conversion successful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 14-0

18min gone

 

Gee they are sharp! Sarah Alameddine has been a handful all first half and now she creates the half break and then finds Wansey for the full line break! Georgia takes on the fullback Vaea and eats the tackle but wins a penalty. No sin bin for the Dogs here but they are sailing close to the wind there as the Eels kick for touch.

A chance to plunge the dagger deep here for the home team. They have favoured their left edge all through the opening stanza but Nicholas is keen to show she isn’t just a right-to-left passing merchant as she ventures down the right edge and finds Enosi Tuipulotu in stride with the league-style cutout. Ruby still has a bit of work to do to close out the deal but she is too strong for her opposite and gets the ball down in the corner!

 

Try scored by Ruby Enosi Tuipulotu. Conversion unsuccessful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 18-0

21min gone

 

The Dogs go short but Parra are all over it. Great awareness. Taylah Meagher is on and delivers a thunderous charge that skittles a defender and wins the penalty. She takes the quick tap and nearly opens the Bulldogs up as well! Tremendous back-to-back plays from the interchange forward. The Eels are just pouring the pressure on here in a relentless fashion and Cash sums it up perfectly as she digs into the line and finds her rampaging edge forward Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard on the unders line. Kaizen takes a moment to get the ball down over the line with the attention of a defender on her but she was always going to score there. Too big, too quick, too strong.

 

Try scored by Kaizen Morgan-Pritchard. Conversion successful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 24-0

24min gone

 

Tegan Nicholas is having herself a game. She doesn’t score on this occasion but she splits the line once more and almost carves past Lala Vaea at the last line. She is barely brought down but wins a penalty and once again the Dogs somehow escape the gaffe without a sin bin. Second line break scenario they have been penalised in but keep the 13 players on the field. Either way the Eels opt for the circumspect option as they look to tack on two points with the penalty goal.

 

Penalty goal attempt successful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 26-0

26min gone

 

A rare chance for the Dogs now as they find themselves in Parramatta’s half following a 20m restart. Cash got her bomb slightly wrong off the boot there and it sailed in-goals for the extended possession.

Canterbury throw bodies at Parramatta’s goal line and the Eels do very well to turn away some powerful forwards. However they are caught out by a run from the halfback Ieremia late in the tackle count as she shapes to her left and holds onto the ball and finds the seam to score in the shadow of half time and finally get the Dogs on the board.

 

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion unsuccessful.

Bulldogs trail 4-26

 

Half Time

Parramatta Eels 26 lead the Canterbury Bulldogs 4

 

Second Half

 

Eels to kickoff.

Some hard running from the Canterbury forwards to start the second stanza. An Eels has been left behind late in the tackle count and time is called off. I think it might be Taylah Meagher on the ground as the trainers attend her. She is able to sit up after a some time and is aided off the field. No real sign of an obvious injury there thankfully but a possible head knock perhaps?

Play resumes with the Dogs working over halfway but they turn the ball over and go on to concede back-to-back penalties. Finally the referee as reached his breaking point as puts up both hands and the ten digits there-in to signal for a sin bin.

Expansive footy from the Eels now. A big right edge shift sees Nicholas find Enosi Tuipuotu who then turns the ball back infield to her centre Rikiti. Parramatta rapidly switch the ball to their left now as Manuo finds Nicholas in good tempo out the sweep behind Wansey as the fullback completes the movement with a clean pass to Havana Cook to complete the winger’s hat trick!

 

Try scored by Havana Cook. Conversion unsuccessful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 30-4

33min gone

 

Tuivaiti rumbles and rages out past the 30m mark with a dominant opening run as the Eels surge through the middle on the back of the carry. Cash puts in a shallow bomb on the last as the Parra chase converge for a driving tackle but they are offside and the Dogs get a let off.

Cracking tackle from Ta’alili now! Great start to her second stint and Alameddine follows her up with a punishing tackle of her own on the next play. Awesome all-phases footy from the Eels there. The Dogs recover due to an excellent clearing kick that forces Nicholas to recover the ball from her in-goals and the Eels have to fight through a tough set from their own quarter.

Sometimes though, it is just your day! Nicholas spies an opportunity to punish the aggressive line speed from the Dogs with a short side raid down the left edge. It is great vision but her execution on the cutout pass to Havana is awry and you see her hands go to her head in frustration. However, it is Parra’s day and the pass bounces up perfectly for Cook! She gets it in stride like it was meant to be and blazes down the left sideline! Just the fullback to beat and she brushes past her like it is nothing to score a sizzling solo try from her own half!

 

Try scored by Havana Cook. Conversion unsuccessful by Sienna Manuo.

Eels lead 34-4

40min gone

 

As she has done all season, Ta’alili Tuivaiti has gotten better in her second stint of the game. She has been a menace in the second half and the Dogs are barely containing her. The Eels rumble downfield this set with some impact work done down their right edge before they look to run it on the last. Wansey nearly opens up a channel on the opposite side of the field but it dragged to the ground in a desperation tackle for the turnover.

Oh that is a heady play from Rikiti! The Dogs get a rare possession inside Parramatta’s red zone and Hine completely defuses the situation with a clever interception as she reads the dummy half option and severs the passing channel. Gorgeous defensive work.

The Dogs get an extended possession due to an offside penalty next set and get an extreme dose of white line fever. They spend four tackles trying to bash it over from dummy half in the right corner. The Eels do great to repel them on the first three attempts but the last ditch attempt on the final tackle of the set catches them out.

Apologies, the gremlins have gotten to my most recent update but the Dogs scored following a long sequence of barge over attempts from dummy half. They cross in the far right corner and narrow the deficit ever so slightly.

 

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion unsuccessful.

Bulldogs trail 4-34

48min gone

 

While I was catching up there has unfortunately been an injury to a Bulldog. The game has halted momentarily while she gets treatment.

She is aided off the field as the Dogs look to further bridge the scoreboard gap but the Eels are resolute on their goal line here and turn the visitors away on tackle count.

Alas, the Eels fail to complete the following set with an error late in the possession gifting the Dogs another look. Staunch defence again repels the visitors and there is chaos on the last tackle as Canterbury can’t find the correct passing option. However, once again the Eels fail to get to their kick in reply so the Dogs get another opportunity.

Wansey is initially beaten by her opposite from the scrum win but fights hard to recover and make the critical cover tackle. A few plays later it is her running mate Havana Cook with the massive defensive play as she turns from winger to bouncer and gives the Canterbury centre Peo the heave-ho into touch! Sensational tackle from Cook there.

Finally the Eels cobble together a completed set. That is very much appreciated. It almost results in an offensive burst at the end as well as Enosi Tuipulotu fields the midfield bomb but is smothered before she can link up with support. Canterbury have a bit of rhythm now as they force a line drop out against the Eels in return but they come unstuck trying to force the issue down their right edge as the pass between half and backrower is left on the deck.

Speaking of half and back rower pairings, lovely work between Cash and Morgan-Pritchard there as the combination nearly opens up the Dogs over halfway. Canterbury drags Kaizen down eventually but she poaches plenty of PCM there. The set is completed with a bomb hoisted to the left edge that the Dogs defuse but the game is in its final moments now with maybe a set left for each side. Sure enough the game plays out exactly that way with the siren ringing out midway through Parramatta’s next set to close the chapter on a phenomenal showing from our girls as they leapfrog the Bulldogs to the top of the ladder courtesy of the win. They also pip the Bulldogs on points differential with the +26 points they piled on today. Canterbury drop from +250 to +224 while the Eels rise from +208 to +234!

 

Full Time

Parramatta Eels 34 defeat the Canterbury Bulldogs 8

 

Tarsha Gale Team List

 

1	Irae Savea
2	Zyon Ligaliga
4	Jessamine Aloalii
23	Jayda Cook
5	Freedom Crichton Ropati
6	Sammy-Lee Gunn-Tauai
7	Aaliya Soufan
8	Taylah Falaniko
9	Ava Jones
10	Alana O’Loughlin
3	Billie Va’a
12	Fontayne Tufuga
13	Khyliah Gray
Interchange
14	Bailey Ma-Chong
15	Shire Thocolich
16	Leonia Vei
17	Mitszy Cairns
20	Sualo Lafoga
21	Olivia Saba

 

Late Mail

 

A bit of reshuffle for the Eels ahead of kickoff. Jayda Cook will play in the centres as Billie Va’a shifts into the back row while Tia Matthews drops out of the team.

 

Match Updates

 

First Half

 

Parramatta to kickoff.

The Eels navigate the opening set from their rivals successfully but fail to get to their kick in return. I think it was Irae Savea running from dummy half late in Parra’s first possession as she gets the ball punched out by a marker covering her from the inside.

Canterbury punch the ball down their left edge before quickly shifting play to their right in the next two tackles. They keep steering right on the next tackle but switch play back to the posts to bring up the last as it looks like they spill the ball forwards in a bomb. The referee sees it differently though and rules the Eels knocked it back as Savea takes it dead in-goals.

A break there for the Dogs as the Eels take the drop out. Good solo tackle from Crichton Ropati early in the set as she cuts down her opposite in a scoring situation. Alas, the Dogs find success coming back through the ruck as one of their powerful middles hits and spins through contact under the posts and slams the ball down to give the visitors the early lead.

 

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion successful.

Bulldogs lead 6-0

5min gone

 

Momentum with the visitors here as they pick up a cheap ruck penalty. They find touch 5m short of halfway and take the tap restart. They try to mimic their success from the last goal line possession with an emphasis on trying to crack the Eels purely on physicality but Parramatta have a bit more starch in the line this time around and force the turnover on tackles.

A penalty follows for the Eels as they take the tap. Ava Jones takes an electric run through the ruck and finds Savea in support for good metres as Soufan completes the set with a contestable bomb. The Dogs spill it forwards as Falaniko scoops it up and almost rumbles over but on the next play the Eels do crack them! Short side option as Soufan uses Billie Va’a and the rugged backrower refuses to be tackled! Terrific leg drive and sheer want-to see her fight her way over for the score!

 

Try scored by Billie Va’a. Conversion successful by Ava Jones.

Eels lock the scores up at 6-all

10min gone

 

The ball bounces from the restart as Gunn-Tauai retrieves it and takes the first run. Tufuga has a bustling charge that threatens to open the Dogs but an error from Falaniko on the next play arrests the building tempo of the set.

Oh dear, the officials have missed a clear knock at the feet of the lock from the Dogs. That is a poor miss. The Dogs keep the footy as a result and again focus purely on trying to smash their way over. Parramatta prove to be resilient to the attempts but a well weighted kick on the last does earn the visitors a line drop out.

Mid range restart from the Eels that causes the Dogs some issues to claim as the ball dribbles willy-nilly. They do eventually gain control of the ball. Again, vanilla shapes from the Dogs as they look to win on size and strength. Speaking of winning, they pick up a penalty late in the count. Can the Eels hold on here?

Unfortunately they can’t. Initial burrow over attempts are turned away before the Dogs spin right and are again rebuffed. They find success coming back to the posts though as they are able to break through the combination tackle of Savea and O’Loughlin to score. All from a blatant missed knock on from that scrum. Costly miss!

 

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion successful.

Bulldogs lead 12-6

18min gone

 

An error from the Eels under the high ball from Canterbury gives the away team another chance to tack on here. Parramatta are being starved of possession and the Dogs are capitalising and in that very stroke of the keyboard they cross again as increasingly rapid rucks put the Eels on the backfoot and allows the Dogs to cross over down their left edge. Parra very much under the pump here, can they rein in their opposition?

 

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion successful.

Bulldogs lead 18-6

21min gone

 

We see the opposite of reining in as the Eels get a midrange kickoff wrong and it sails out on the full. The referee seems to believe it was eligible to qualify as a short attempt though and it heads to the 40m line for a play-the-ball. Regardless of play-the-ball or penalty though, it is yet more plus field position for the Dogs and they are just feeding off the glut of possession. A late offload down their left edge sparks an overlap inside Parramatta’s red zone and sees their centre cross untouched with so many defenders committed to the initial tackle. Getting real ugly here for our Eels.

 

Try scored by the Canterbury Bulldogs. Conversion unsuccessful.

Bulldogs lead 22-6

24min gone

 

Powerful carries from the Dogs have them poised to reach deep into Parramatta’s half once again in the backend of this set but they finally blink and produce an unforced error. All the running has been with Canterbury, can the Eels make anything of this rare hitch in momentum?

Va’a starts the set as the Eels work left on the next tackle with Ligaliga. It comes back to Billie on the next play as Parramatta risk it all on the expansive play down the right on the fourth tackle. Freedom Crichton Ropati gets a sliver of space to work with as she beats her opposite but the cover defence drive her into touch metres short of the line in a crucial juncture in this contest.

Another penalty for the Dogs here. Less traction for them in the following set than we have seen thus far today. Oooh, tough call from Savea there. They Dogs roll it along the carpet on the last and I think she had enough time to let it go dead but there were chasers closing in. Split second call and I think given the deficit on the scoreboard she probably needed to gamble on the 20m restart but she plays it safe.

There is about a minute on the clock for the Eels to navigate before the break as they take the drop out. Thankfully they are able to hold on and stymie the bleeding as the siren rings out to bring an end to the half.

 

Half Time

Canterbury Bulldogs 22 lead the Parramatta Eels 16

 

Second Half

 

Parra need a hot start to the second stanza and get the early assistance of a pair of penalties. That catapults them into the Dogs’ red zone as they begin the task of bridging the 16-point gap. A gorgeous cutout pass from Soufan to Ligaliga looks to have sparked the first act of scoring but the referee says Zion has grounded it short at lost the ball. Oh no! Disaster for the Eels and an incredible let off for the Dogs. They were shot to pieces there.

An explosive carry from Freedom gashes the Dogs through the middle and wins the penalty! Terrific effort. A scoring opportunity eventuates down the left edge in the next set but the offload it tipped forwards but there was high contact! The Eels get the ball back only to drop it again! Deary me. Nothing going right there. It think I was Sammy-Lee there with the drop as she reached for the ball off her left hip. The Dogs are there to be scored on but the Eels just can’t quite get it done.

Geez that is a dubious crusher penalty. Looked like a completely vanilla tackle there. Another piggy back whistle for the Dogs though and the Eels will do well to hold on here. They do hold on though. Bit of spirit from our girls as they scramble to dive on an early grubber kick from the visitors. Jessamine Aloalii provides a huge play for the Eels to get out of trouble and open up attacking opportunities with a massive charge that leads to a penalty.

Bailey Ma-Chong takes a risk for the Eels knowing they are chasing a 3-score deficit as she grubbers for herself inside the red zone. It is a clever kick and well executed! She is right on the spot to reclaim the ball and dive over for a try!

 

Try scored by Bailey Ma-Chong. Conversion unsuccessful by Bailey Ma-Chong.

Eels trail 10-22

43min gone

 

Good settler from O’Loughlin.  Kyliah Gray is left in distress on the next tackle. The referee was trigger happy with a crusher tackle against the Eels just prior – is there any whistle coming now? Gray is on her haunches now and we will simply resume play. As you were it seems.

Va’a and Cairns continue the set as the Eels use offloads on the fourth tackle to find Savea for a weaving run. Sammy-Lee is the option on the last and she induces a backwards drop from the Dogs with her bomb but the visitors recover to get back into the field of play. Close run thing to a drop out there but the Dogs win a small but significant moment in the game.

Parramatta are edging ahead in the territorial battle now and it is by doing what they failed to do in the first half. Tough sets completed with smart kicks, another one provided by Ava Jones now, are starting to turn the Dogs around and fatigue their massive pack. Is there enough running left in this game for the Eels to capitalise?

Amidst my meandering updates the Dogs have a panicked conclusion to their latest set that results in a double kick, the latter of which sails into touch on the full. Again, the Eels are winning the set-to-set battles now.

Nice work from Aloalii there as she sorties in behind the ruck. Tackles for Parra as they hit the red zone with a rumbling run from Falaniko. Gunn-Tauai runs it on the last and holds it up for Va’a but I think the option was to go out the bank. The Dogs swallow up Billie to make the turnover on tackles.

Sharp work from Savea on the next kick return. She nearly splits two chasers and still gets the Eels close to halfway. Her fellow backs pour in for work through the next tackles. Va’a and Tufuga combine down the right edge to find Sammy-Lee on the wing. A big reshuffle out there for the Eels as Gunn-Tauai does well to stay in the field of play. How crucial that was too! The ball comes to Soufan on the very next play and she stabs in a brilliant grubber kick. The chase from Ligaliga is a dogged one as she fights through a wall of defenders to win the race and touch the ball down! Here we go!

 

Try scored by Zion Ligaliga. Conversion successful by Ava Jones.

Eels trail 16-22

53min gone

 

Aloalii continues an excellent second half with a vicious fend that sends her opposite flying. The Eels earn a penalty two tackles later and they continue their massive run. And continue their run they do with a sparkling shift down the right edge. O’Loughlin sets up the shift with a surge to the posts as Sammy-Lee unites with Tufuga to then put Crichton Ropati into space and there is no way a winger of her quality was going to miss that chance! The Eels are storming back into this one!

 

Try scored by Freedom Crichton Ropati. Conversion unsuccessful by Ava Jones.

Eels trail 20-22

57min gone

 

No! Disaster strikes for the home team. O’Loughlin is met in a clean, violent collision from the kickoff and tries to offload to Savea as she is driven backwards but loses the ball. Is this the end of the comeback? No! For the Dogs turn it over themselves. There is life yet left in our girls as the scrum is set on their own 10m line.

Can they march downfield and complete an incredible comeback?

They are aided by a penalty for a high tackle. Easy whistle to make there. The touchfinder is marked 32m out as the first pass goes awry and is tided up by Jones. Falaniko gets the next run before a quick shift to Ligaliga she the winger rip down the left sideline! Awesome play! She takes on the fullback and is brought down but a cynical ruck leads to a penalty and a bin! Manic end to this game!

Tap and go with Cairns now as Soufan dummies and runs on the second. Big right edge shift to find Freedom! She has a horder of cover defenders closing in on her and recharts her course from the sideline to infield! Can she spark something? CAN SHE SPARK SOMETHING? OF COURSE SHE CAN! She becomes a whirling dervish and fights and spins through a pack of Dog before triumphantly slamming the ball over the line in a brilliant individual effort to cap the improbably comeback! Well done girls!

The siren rings out Jones take the conversion attempt and while it is waved away it is inconsequential to the result! The comeback has been completed.

 

Try scored by Freedom Crichton Ropati. Conversion unsuccessful by Ava Jones.

 

Full Time

Parramata Eels 24 defeat the Canterbury Bulldogs 22